Recreation - re-creation

Two words are recorded in OED using these letters in this order. One is best written with a hyphen, and the other not, although OED itself enters both as headwords without hyphens. (Hyphenation is only recorded as a variant form of the second of these.) The distinction in meaning is best brought out in their pronunciations.

• The commoner by far, and the one most students will use, has no hyphen - recreation. Collins COBUILD says: "Recreation consists of things that you do in your spare time to relax", giving the example Saturday afternoon is for recreation and outings... OED's more formal definition (at 3. a.) is " The action of recreating (oneself or another), or fact of being recreated, by some pleasant occupation, pastime or amusement" (AWE's underlining).

This meaning is pronounced 'wreck-ri-A-shun', IPA: /rɛ kriː ˈeɪʃ^ən/.

• Re-creation, which AWE advises you to us with a hyphen, especially if there is any possibility of confusion, means 'creating again', 'making anew', as in 'Shakespeare's Globe is a re-creation of the timber-framed theatre of which Shakespeare himself was a part-owner, and in which he acted.'

This sense is pronounced 'ree-cree-A-shun', IPA: /ˌriː kriː ˈeɪʃ^ən/.

Beware the possible ambiguity. If you do use one of these words, the hyphen will help to make it clear when you do NOT mean 'a pleasant relaxation', but something which may involve arduous effort and great care and attention.